Designing solutions for clean water on Cape Cod: Engaging communities to improve decision making

Abstract

Many of the remaining mechanisms for reducing land-based nitrogen release in coastal communities depend on behavior change, social acceptance, and public support of localized mitigation programs. These needs necessitate appropriate and effective stakeholder engagement. Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, is one example of an area undergoing significant local, regional, state and federal decision-making processes to address nitrogen impacts on coastal waterbodies through an update to its Area Wide Water Quality Management Plan (208 Plan). The 208 Plan Update seeks to support mitigation of nitrogen pollution and restore estuarine health through active community engagement with elected officials, town staff, citizens, and other stakeholders across its 53 embayment watersheds, 35 of which are deemed impaired. With an economy deeply tied to the environment, the region is in the difficult position of needing to make significant infrastructure investments to maintain its reputation for high quality coastal waters. It is the first region in the United States to undergo an extensive revisit of its Area Wide Water Quality Management Plan developed pursuant to Section 208 of the federal Clean Water Act for the purpose of addressing nitrogen. The community engagement process for the 208 Plan Update set forth to 1) understand the range of perspectives regarding the extent of the nitrogen impacts as well as the possible solutions, 2) ensure two-way communication of available information, and 3) build trust through a transparent process. The process specifically applied a number of different mechanisms for community engagement which enabled progress in addressing nitrogen management needs. The process helped to determine and address barriers to successful implementation of nitrogen mitigation plans and resulted in a framework for watershed-based planning that relies on regional coordination and supports local selection of mitigation strategies. As a result, communities in the region are developing innovative cross-municipal partnerships and committing to fund infrastructure necessary to decrease nitrogen loading to coastal embayments.